Cape Breton community reaches out to help burn victim buy new vehicle

Dwayne Dalton stands in his Hillside Street home with three of his five children, Martina, 10, Cole, 7, and Grace, 8. A couple of fundraisers have been launched to help Dalton buy a new vehicle after his 2004 Ford Explorer was torched in a case of arson last month.

Regina Gillis

SYDNEY — A small group of community-minded people want to help a local man get back on his feet after an act of vandalism robbed him of his only means of transportation.

Dwayne Dalton awoke to the smell of smoke and the sight of flames tearing through his 2004 Ford Explorer in the early morning hours of June 24.

Dalton, a father of five young children, suffered life-threatening injuries in an explosion at his former MacLeod Hill’s home while he undertook renovations there more than four years ago.

He was engulfed in flames from that explosion, burning more than 75 per cent of his body. He suffered third- and fourth-degree burns as a result.

During the long, tumultuous road to recovery, he’s maintained his independence. Shunning the use of a wheelchair, he has used a walker and then a cane to get around.

His truck was a vital lifeline, as he must undergo daily outpatient treatments at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. He must also travel to Halifax regularly for appointments with specialists.

Dalton is also undergoing physiotherapy, which means two to three separate trips to the hospital each day.

“The cab rides are $100 a week. I’ve had to skip physio appointments. It’s a choice I’m forced to make,” he said during an interview Thursday in his modest living room surrounded by three of his children.

He said his only income each month is a $675 cheque that is provided by a federal disability benefit through the Canada Pension Plan.

In an effort to get Dalton “back on the road again,” Sydney resident Regina Gillis is heading a committee to raise enough money so that Dalton can buy a car to replace the one lost in the fire.

His basic car insurance plan won't replace it.

“He just keeps fighting against all these odds and all the punches that life throws at him. He keeps getting off the mat and keeps going forward. You can’t keep this guy down,” Gillis said.

She has followed his story since the near fatal fire in 2010, and upon hearing about this latest fire, she said, “somebody had to do something” to help Dalton out.

“But who’s that somebody going to be? I decided, ‘well, I’m going to step up to the plate,’ and I believe this is so important to get just a vehicle for him so he can continue fighting.”

Donations are now being accepted at all credit unions in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality under the account name “Dwayne Dalton Vehicle Account.”

Another campaign for Dalton set up by friend Trina Hennick Corkum through the online fundraising website www.youcaring.com has a goal of $20,000 to help him buy a new vehicle and assist with expenses related to his ongoing treatments.

However, the site has only raised about $600 to date and there is less than two weeks left in this online campaign.

Some of the money already collected from this campaign has assisted in his daily travel expenses to the hospital, Dalton said.

Anyone wishing to contact Dalton directly can do so by emailing him at keepthefaithdalton@hotmail.com.

Dwayne Dalton awoke to the smell of smoke and the sight of flames tearing through his 2004 Ford Explorer in the early morning hours of June 24.

Dalton, a father of five young children, suffered life-threatening injuries in an explosion at his former MacLeod Hill’s home while he undertook renovations there more than four years ago.

He was engulfed in flames from that explosion, burning more than 75 per cent of his body. He suffered third- and fourth-degree burns as a result.

During the long, tumultuous road to recovery, he’s maintained his independence. Shunning the use of a wheelchair, he has used a walker and then a cane to get around.

His truck was a vital lifeline, as he must undergo daily outpatient treatments at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. He must also travel to Halifax regularly for appointments with specialists.

Dalton is also undergoing physiotherapy, which means two to three separate trips to the hospital each day.

“The cab rides are $100 a week. I’ve had to skip physio appointments. It’s a choice I’m forced to make,” he said during an interview Thursday in his modest living room surrounded by three of his children.

He said his only income each month is a $675 cheque that is provided by a federal disability benefit through the Canada Pension Plan.

In an effort to get Dalton “back on the road again,” Sydney resident Regina Gillis is heading a committee to raise enough money so that Dalton can buy a car to replace the one lost in the fire.

His basic car insurance plan won't replace it.

“He just keeps fighting against all these odds and all the punches that life throws at him. He keeps getting off the mat and keeps going forward. You can’t keep this guy down,” Gillis said.

She has followed his story since the near fatal fire in 2010, and upon hearing about this latest fire, she said, “somebody had to do something” to help Dalton out.

“But who’s that somebody going to be? I decided, ‘well, I’m going to step up to the plate,’ and I believe this is so important to get just a vehicle for him so he can continue fighting.”

Donations are now being accepted at all credit unions in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality under the account name “Dwayne Dalton Vehicle Account.”

Another campaign for Dalton set up by friend Trina Hennick Corkum through the online fundraising website www.youcaring.com has a goal of $20,000 to help him buy a new vehicle and assist with expenses related to his ongoing treatments.

However, the site has only raised about $600 to date and there is less than two weeks left in this online campaign.